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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. hand — help
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. fine — high quality
  6. stock — shares
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. drill — the tool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. fine — all right
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mark — a grade
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. drill — army training
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stem — to come from
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bass — low music
  24. stem — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com